Lifestyle and Diabetes - Nutritional Intervention

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27;12:591.

Jan;65(1):56-60.

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preventable lifestyle.

**Chapter 13**

Mellitus

**Abstract**

medications.

whole plant based diet

**1. Introduction**

*Dabota Yvonne Buowari*

The Role of Lifestyle Medicine

in the Management of Diabetes

Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that involves the use of lifestyle in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have shown that diabetes mellitus can be prevented following lifestyle modifications. Lifestyle medicine is a branch of medicine that promotes lifestyle modifications as a way of life. This includes promoting healthy eating which includes a whole plant-based diet, low fat, low sugar and low salt. It also includes exercises, sleeping healthy and reducing stress. This is involved in the management of diabetes mellitus. Diabetic management is expensive especially in low and middle-income countries where health insurance is not available for the entire populace and diabetics have to pay out of pocket for their

**Keywords:** lifestyle medicine, diabetes mellitus, exercise, physical activity,

Globally, there is an increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, cancer, hypertension, other cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Most of these illnesses are related to a modification in the lifestyle worldwide costs of healthcare leading to morbidity and mortality are diseases linked to environmental factors and lifestyle modification [1]. There has been a steady increase worldwide in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases to an alarming rate including diabetes mellitus which is becoming an epidemic [2–4] as this increase has been on for the past 20 years [5–7]. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), it is estimated that 387 million adults are diabetic with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus [3] and this number is predicted to rise to 392 million by 2035 [3, 8]. This predicted increase is due to globalization and urbanization [2]. Urbanization is affected by modifications in lifestyle with physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle from various epidemiological and interventional studies have revealed that the majority of chronic illnesses such as diseases that affect the cardiovascular system such as hypertension, cancer and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus result due to lifestyle behavior and habits that are caused by improper eating habits, eating unhealthy foods, and lack of physical activity [9–11]. In primary and specialist health facilities, the majority of the consultations are related to highly
